Summer Skin Care morning

My morning routine:

Plus with our hot Texas summers, it’s very refreshing!

Step 1: Daily Protection SPF 30. “Renée Rouleau Daily Protection SPF 30: The Best SPF Product” - Elle Magazine

Step 2: Aloe Cleansing Milk is my go-to evening cleanser in the summer to remove my mineral makeup. Step 2: Elderberry Toner again, and always left damp on the skin.

Step 3: Skin Drink is a specialty serum that contains Hyaluronic Acid which keeps my skin cells plump and healthy. Step 4: As much as I love the Hawaiian Nourishing Cream, the Texas summers increase too much oil on my skin so I switch to the Sheer Moisture which gives my skin the perfect amount of oil-free hydration as as the names implies–it’s sheer.

Summer Skin Care

Normal to dry skins need a cleansing cream or gel, while an oily or combination skin should be cleansed with a cleansing milk or lotion. After washing or cleansing the skin, cleansing grains or a scrub should be used. Cleansing grains can be mixed with a skin tonic and rubbed gently on the skin, using a circular motion. A good skin tone is a must in hot, humid weather, to cleanse and refresh the skin. A flower based skin tonic, containing rose or lavender, is ideal. Or, you can use rose water, if you have normal to dry skin. After cleansing, wipe the skin with a cotton wool pad dipped in skin tonic. Oily skin need an astringent toner. oily skins.

It’s easy to forget about summer skin care when you’re enjoying yourself outside. Summer skin care requires you to be SPF savvy

Choose your sun protection factor (SPF) level carefully. SPF indicates the amount of time you can stay in the sun with that particular level of sunscreen. Sunscreen rules

Sunscreen only works if you use it properly. Apply sunscreen every two hours, regardless of the SPF level. Use a lip balm with sun protection to guard your lips.

Remember that cotton clothes often protect less than an SPF 15 sunscreen. Use the right amount of sunscreen. Sunscreen expires and loses its effectiveness over time. Only use baby-formula sunscreen on babies.

barnacles skin care

My patients and I call them barnacles, because they’re stuck on the skin much like barnacles are stuck on things in the ocean.

These barnacles are structurally similar to warts because they’re made up of excessive layers of skin cells from both the living and dead skin layers.  The fact that they are made from your outer skin layers means that skin care products can help to get rid of the growths. Like a wart, a barnacle happens because your living skin cells grow excessively and form a little mound that’s raised up higher than the rest of your skin.  It’s the dead cells that we can buff and exfoliate away with powerful, regular, AHA-containing, exfoliating skin care.  Occasionally, this exfoliating skin care treatment will also get rid of the little mound of living cells too.

At the time, the concept of exfoliating skin care was less common. 

Escape a Skin Care Rut

Your skin changes over time, thanks to season, hormones, and your general health. Likewise, step up your skin care if you're seeing unwelcome changes — laugh lines and age spots, we're looking at you!

There's another reason to shake up your skin-care routine: Thanks to scientific breakthroughs, many over-the-counter skin care products (and their delivery methods) have become safer, stronger, and more effective, says Dr. Wu.

Separate the makeup into three piles: makeup that you never wear; makeup that's broken, has turned color or smells bad; and makeup that you do wear.

Skin
Before you do your makeup, focus on your skin. Before applying makeup, cleanse and moisturize with the right formulas for your skin's needs. For the most natural look, choose yellow-based shades of concealer, foundation and powder. To lighten dark circles, apply concealer under the eye, up to the lash line, and on the innermost corner of the eye using the concealer brush. For full, all-over coverage, use a foundation brush to apply and blend foundation.

Powder
For crease-free, long-wear makeup, apply loose powder in pale yellow over concealer using an eye blender brush or mini powder puff. Lipstick/lip gloss
Start with clean, smooth lips. Lip liner
For natural-looking definition and to keep color from feathering, line lips with lip liner after applying lip color. Define brows using eye shadow (match it to your hair color) applied with an eye brow brush. Eye shadow
Sweep a light eye shadow color from lash line to brow bone using an eye shadow brush. Dust a medium eye shadow color on the lower lid, up to the crease, using an eye shadow brush. Eye liner
Line upper lash line with a dark eye shadow color applied with an eye liner brush. If you choose to curl lashes, be sure to do this before applying mascara; curling lashes after mascara makes them more prone to breakage.

Avoid deodorant

(NaturalNews) The primary ingredient used in most antiperspirants is aluminum. Aluminum has been linked to breast cancer in women and has also been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Several studies have shown a link between increasing antiperspirant use and rising rates of female breast cancer and prostate cancer in men. The largest concern is that the absorption of these chemicals will disrupt our delicate hormonal balance. Propylene glycol is another common ingredient that is used in antiperspirants and deodorants. It is a cheap way to make skin care products more easily applicable to the skin.

Phthalates are used in cosmetics, synthetic fragrances, plastics, body care products and medical goods. High phthalate blood and urine levels in women of child bearing age have been linked to a higher risk of birth defects. Triclosan is another common ingredient included in commercial deodorants.

Triclosan is a skin irritant and may cause contact dermatitis. It may kill healthy bacteria as well as harmful bacteria. It may contain carcinogenic contaminants. It is stored in body fat and is classified as a pesticide by the FDA.

Talc is classified as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer if it contains asbestiform fibers. The quantity of asbestiform fibers in cosmetic grade talc is unregulated. If talc is listed on the label, there is no way of knowing whether or not it contains asbestiform fibers. 

Propylene glycol absorbs quickly through the skin and is a penetration enhancer. It may cause delayed allergic reactions. NIOSH says propylene glycol is a neurotoxin and may cause kidney or liver damage. The EPA says it’s not fully investigated for carcinogenic potential. 

Silica is a skin irritant. It may be contaminated with crystalline quartz, which is a carcinogen. 

Steareth-n (n may be any number like say 100), may be vegetable derived but is reacted with ethylene oxide (ethoxylated), a known human carcinogen. 

Instead choose deodorants with ingredients like vegetable glycerin, natural preservatives like bioflavanoids and lichen, herbs or herbal extracts, de-ionized water or distilled water, green tea, aloe vera, baking soda and essential oils.

A word of caution: Plant extracts listed on labels can already contain parabens and propylene glycol. These do not have to be listed on the label. Very few herbs supplied to manufacturers are free of parabens or other synthetic preservatives unless they are extracted in vegetable glycerine. To make sure that the products you buy are healthy and free of these harmful chemicals, call the deodorant manufacturer and ask them for detailed information

Sources :
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/29/cbsnews_investigates/main51...
http://www.ewg.org/chemindex/term/563
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/best-natural-d...
http://www.health-report.co.uk/ethylene_glycol_propylene_glycol.htm
http://www.naturalingredient.org/syntheticfragrances.htm

Skin Care Recipes

There are some really excellent all natural skin care products available for purchase, and this might be the best solution for you. But you also might try your hand at making some natural skin care recipes yourself. By doing this you can save a little money, learn a new skill, and be guaranteed a super natural, wholesome product since you personally know every ingredient that goes into your natural skin care recipes.

Many skin care recipes can be made from ingredients that you probably already have in your fridge or pantry. Here are three great natural skin care recipes to try. 

Did you know that oatmeal can help clear clogged pores? And that onion can help heal scars from acne? To take advantage of the healing powers of these natural ingredients, try this recipe. First, let three tablespoons of plain oatmeal steep in one ounce of boiling water for five minutes. Second, peel one medium size onion, and grind it in the food processor until it becomes a smooth puree. Add the onion puree to the warm oatmeal. Test out this mask on your face. If it has a consistency that will stay on your face then it is ready to use. If not, add some green clay or some honey to thicken the mask. This quantity will make enough for eight applications, and should stay fresh for up to a week in the fridge. 

Another great recipe to try requires only honey, lemon juice, plain yogurt and an egg white. For this mask, combine two tablespoons of honey, three teaspoons of plain yogurt, four teaspoons of lemon juice and one egg white in a small bowl and whisk until the mixture thickens. Immediately apply it to your clean and dry face and leave it on for fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes wash the mask off with warm water, and gently pat dry. The benefits of this recipe are that lemon and yogurt can help fade acne scars while protein from the egg white helps prevent future damage to the skin. Honey has antibacterial properties that soothe your facial skin.

The final of the three all natural skin care recipes takes aspirin and apple cider vinegar. You might never have thought of aspirin as an ingredient in natural organic skin care, but it’s true that aspirin combined with apple cider vinegar can act as a toner to smooth skin and help clear up scars from acne. To take advantage of these benefits, mix half an ounce of organic cider vinegar with three ounces of mineral water and five regular aspirin tablets, crushed. You can crush aspirin tablets using a mortar and pestle, or by placing in a plastic zip bag and crushing with a rolling pin or other heavy implement. Apply this toner to your skin with a cotton ball. 

Try these natural skin care recipes and see the difference that they can make for your skin! You may be able to achieve some decent results with these recipes